Higher Education, Is it a Birthright?

peeznluv · #10 (**permalink**) 12-Jan-2011, 10:28 AM

I love this blog (is that the correct term?) Very insightful people. I live in the U.S., and love hearing what people in U.K. and otherwsie have to say. Sombody had said something about technology and robots driving a revolution towards less jobs...and I could not agree more. I see this happening here in the U.S. as well. Higher Ed as a birthright? I feel it should be.....like those countries with closer to free college education for their kids (Scandivnavian countries mostly). Finland ranks #1 in education.....I lost count where the U.S. ranks but know my country is slipping fast where we once held the edge. Ok, don't want to get to political but...heck its all politics anyway. corrupt politics I might add. Despite Fed vs State funding, I look at big picture. The US. is robbing its people of basic human rights....like affordable higher ed for one, while it overspends on "defense". Since the financial crisis is Global....I can't help think how it all effects each other. The cutbacks really need to be more in the bloated military and uncessary weapons.....and put back into our schools and otherwise.

jnanavan · #11 (**permalink**) 12-Jan-2011, 11:32 AM

This is the current state of many of the education systems around the world. In the US for the last couple of years tuition fees have been going up slowly and financial aid has been going down slowly(at least in california and other major states). The excuse has been the "global financial crisis". In spain, south america and i guess now the UK similar things have happend MANY times with protest and unrest involved.

But what do inteligent people expect from STATE and GOVERNMENT funded "educational" institutions?

The ruling class(elite) do NOT benefit and do NOT want a well informed and knowledgeble society. It should not surprise anyone that they HAVE and will CONTINUE to dilude the educational systems of developed nations.

My sociology professor makes it VERY clear to us that education here in california in the 70's was MUCH more sophisticated then it is now. America has been left with almost no scientific community and has to rely on foreign experts to fill in certain jobs because of the dumbing down of our educational system. He says the same about the standard of living and warns our generations about how MOST of us WILL live in poverty.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/united-kingdom/33658-higher-education-is-it-a-birthright.html

Another thing, educational system are set up by the STATE and the GOVERNMENT not to distribute knowledge to the masses but to controll knowledge amongs the masses. It is a system of control, and anybody that thinks it is the duty of some 3rd party to give you knowledge is foolish. It should be the job of the parents to educate the children then it becomes the job of the indivual . It is not the job of youre local government.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33658

Modern western teachings methods are HARMFULL to the human consciousness. They are based on skinnerian(famous psychologist) principles of conditioning and what you end up with this whole memorize/exam system is LEFT-BRAIN prisoners

This "educational system" starts training youre LEFT hemisphere of the brain which has to do with; physical reality, 5 senses, logic and intellect. The RIGHT side of the brain has to do with ; art, spirituality, music, numbers etc. The modern educational system DESTROYS a childs creativity and spirituality by overdeloping there left brain and cripliling the right brain. Intelect is one of the lowest expressions of human consciousness.

prakash.s.bagga · #12 (**permalink**) 12-Jan-2011, 23:10 PM

Is Higher education aBirth Right.

Science and technological developments require people with higher education at all levels.Be Govenment.Industries or Educational institutions.
Since higher education has its commercial angle more prounced than the Basic Education.Higher education can not be straightway given the status as Birth Right.
However considering its significance in near future it can not be avoided .For this there should be participation from all who are directly concerned with higher education.So Govenments,Industries and concerned institution must work a strategy together to achieve the objective of providing higher educatio for its people.It should not and can not be left alone for the Government to take thefull responsibilty for this cause as Governments are required to take other resposibilities of the whole of society which other institutions are not required
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33658
After all Government is of the people,for the people and by the people in any Democratic set up.Thus Governmetnts have other social obligations of the society.
Governments should play a role to create and maintain conditions conducive to the establishment and running thereof with justice at whateverlevel required.
Probably it is the costof higher education which seems to be a matter of great concern.It should be but at same time therecan be schemes promoted by Governmets which may provide finacial assistance for higher education that can be gradually recovered once the person is engaged in the job.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33658
I COME FROM A BACKGROUND OF EDUCATIONAL FIELDIN INDIA AND I AM HAPPY WITH THE
SCHEME OF OUR BANKING SYSTEM IS PROVIDING REQUIRED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE DESERING STUDENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.SO THERE IS NO SUCH PROBLEM OF GETTING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.THIS WAY A PERSON GETS HIGHER EDUCATION FROM HIOS OWN SOURCES.

tHIS IS ONLY ONE MODEL THERE CAN BE DIFFERENT MODELS THAT CAN TAKE CARE OF FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.
These are my views only according to my personal experience.I am aware there are many others with great idias.Always nessicity is the Mother of INVENTIONS the same should be applicable to this state of problem.

Prakash.s.Bagga

Serjinder Singh · #13 (**permalink**) 12-Jan-2011, 23:22 PM

I studied upto masters level in India where tution fees were minimal. I did my PhD in UK in late sixties. Every PhD student whether British or foreign were provided not only free higher education but students were also paid bursary that was almost equal to an average worker's salary. There was no cost for health care thanks to the NHS (National Health Service). The current problems impinging on all such things originated from the greed of the wall street devils and bankers in the US.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33658

I consider subsidised education both Further and Higher as an important sign of a civilised and caring society and civilisation. US may have been rich, prosperous, and mighty. However in my humble opinion it is still a society that hasn't been able to rid itself of the wild west syndrome. The political lobbyists lobby for uncontrolled guns in the society. The industrial-Military Complex determines the foreign policy thereby craving for wars in distant parts of the word. Wars are fought for resources such as oil and gas under the guise of human rights protection while at the same time autocratic dictators have all the time been propped up or supported in different parts of the world. Provision of subsidised education, health and social care is possible only if the rulers have an element of spiritual and moral considerations in their ethos. The American population begins to think the way the only media driven by profit and ratings wants them. Thank God Britain has not only NHS, subsidised education, social services but above all BBC that does not depend on ads or commercial interests. The one thing I miss when in North America is the ad free BBC. I strongly support the idea of subsidised education of all kinds.

spnadmin · #14 (**permalink**) 12-Jan-2011, 23:57 PM

Point of information It is true that higher education is not considered a "birthright" in the United States. The core political/economic value "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" has never caught on here. This extends as well to policies related to national health.

Basic education is considered a responsibility of state governments according to the US Constitution. In fact federal meddling in education is a constant source of political controversy, as it can be unconstitutional. The 10th Amendment pertains to state control of education. According to the 10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33658
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33658

Federal mandates for funding education are essentially limited to equal access and opportunity. Thus, any federal dollars allocated for higher education are allocated at the state level according to state-level policies and procedures. The federal government's role is to ensure that there are no barriers to admission to a college or university, or the funding necessary to attend, based on race, religion, national origin, gender, physical disability, etc.

The federal government thus operates to level the playing field by funding and civil rights mandates (e.g., No Child Left Behind). It can happen, and has happened, that federal mandates are not funded by Congress, and it is left to the states to find the funding to enforce the federal mandate.

Seeker9 · #15 (**permalink**) 13-Jan-2011, 06:44 AM

Well there's a number of issues here which I will attempt to summarise in no particular order:

1) It was an aspiration of the last Labour administration to increase the numbers of students going through Higher Education to 50% or above. Whilst I think it's great to offer such opportunities, the reality is the jobs market has become saturated with graduates...some with questionable degrees and it has resulted in Macdonalds getting a higher calibre of staff to flip their burgers!

2) Against that background, the books were always going to be very hard to balance, but the current Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition administration made it worse by introducing an 80% (yes that's right...80%) funding cut in certain areas and that left an even bigger hole in the books, which they then decided should be funded by the main beneficiaries of the higher education, i.e the students themselves

3) They tried to counter-balance this with another development whereby the debt does not have to be repaid until the individual concerned earns a salary in excess of £25k. But their maths don't add up as the examples they have provided would mean a person could take decades to pay back their loan which doesn't sound right to me
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33658

4) Students would argue that the taxpayer benefits from the services of qualified professionals like Doctor's etc which is a valid point but the UK taxpayer's alliance would counter-argue why should they pay for a person to get educated and then earn a very high salary, possibly multiple times higher than the UK average and multiple times higher than that of the average UK taxpayer

5) Whilst there is no doubt that society benefits and the economy benefits, there is also little doubt that the primary beneficiary is the student so personally, I think it is right that person should make a contribution to their education. What I fundamentally disagree with is the way the Conservative led coalition have handled this...was it really necessary to make an 80% cut in one go and raise fees as high as 9k a year? Why couldn't they have cut 40% which is still extraordinarily high?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33658

6) Labour would also have had to make cuts but Labour was working to a 10 year plan whereas the coalition are aiming to get the UK deficit cleared within 5 years....which a lot of people, myself included, think is far too much far too quick

7) Finally, I would finish by saying I was totally appalled by the actions of some student protesters and they really did their cause no benefit at all.